The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The Breaking Ground podcast is supported by Ground Engineering Magazine and the Ground Forum, of which the BGA is a member. The podcast is brought to you by Central Piling.
In the latest episode of Breaking Ground, Steve Hadley (Chair of The Federation of Piling Specialists and Managing Director of Central Piling Limited) talks to Patrick Lane-Nott (hyperTunnel Limited's Director of Engineering) about hyperTunnel promising "next generation tunnelling", as they aim to revolutionise the world of underground construction through AI, machine learning and swarm robotics and exactly how they're doing it.
Essentially, hyperTunnel are looking to use new technology to make tunnelling methods faster, safer and cheaper than they currently are now. The core engineering team has been assembled with people from many different backgrounds. Patrick is from the world of Formula 1, and his team have backgrounds in the academic world, the aviation industry, renewable energy and defence amongst others, with the aim of cross-pollinating and bringing fresh ideas to the tunnelling industry.
Of course, he talks about the key element of hyperTunnel, using robots to dig tunnels, and how their technology means that no humans are in the environment during the construction or excavation phases. He also discusses the other benefits of their technology - for example, how hyperTunnel eliminates the need to prepare for the unexpected.
Use this link to view the latest podcast.